- Foresight Sustainable Forestry (FSF) announced the publication of its first dedicated ESG report. The report outlines the company’s ambitious sustainability and ESG vision and provides stakeholders with an update on the company’s delivery against its key sustainability and ESG objectives over the period ended 30 September 2022. With the release of this document, the company is aiming to set an enhanced standard for reporting within the forestry and natural capital industry and the wider ESG investment sector. The full report is available to view on the company’s website here.
- BlackRock Greater Europe (BRGE) provided a portfolio update following a solid month of outperformance. During the month, the company’s NAV rose by 3.0% and the share price by 1.7%, ahead of the benchmark FTSE World Europe ex-UK Index which was up 0.9% during the period. Management commented: “Whilst consumer prices in the Eurozone reached their lowest levels in over a year, rising 6.9% in March, compared to 8.5% in February – mainly thanks to falling energy prices, core inflation remains sticky. Excluding energy and food costs, core inflation was up 5.7% in March, slightly higher than the 5.6% we saw in February. Over in the US, the Federal Reserve also hiked rates by another 25bps. Market leadership came from the technology, health care and consumer staples sectors, as investors fled to tech and more defensive areas. Real estate and financials were the weakest sectors during the month, followed by energy.”
- Triple Point Social Housing REIT (SOHO) has announced a share buyback programme to address its wide share price discount to NAV, which yesterday stood at 62%. It will initially buyback £5m worth of shares, which its says will be accretive to NAV and increase dividend cover. The company is also in the process of selling a portfolio of assets, with some of the proceeds being used to return capital to shareholders through an extension of the share buyback programme.
- Shaftesbury Capital has redeemed the Chinatown and Carnaby bonds, after the bondholders exercised a change of control put option. The redemption of the bonds was funded in full by the group’s £576m loan facility with Barclays Bank, BNP Paribas SA and HSBC Bank secured on 16 June 2022.
We also have an annual report from Fair Oaks Limited and a new investment by Oakley Capital Investments